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Department: Town Supervisor

Town of Cortlandt Community Profile

Release Date: December 13, 2012

The Town of Cortlandt, New York is located in the northwestern corner of Westchester County. The Town is bounded on the west by the Hudson River, the north by Putnam County, the east by the Town of Yorktown and on the south by the Towns of New Castle and Ossining. Cortlandt includes two incorporated villages, Croton-on-Hudson and Buchanan and several hamlets including Montrose, Crugers and Verplanck. The Hudson River, the New York City Watershed Lands, numerous wooded hills and steep slopes, wetland areas and streams define the rural character of the Town.

Hendrick Hudson discovered the Hudson River in 1609, sailing his ship the Half Moon north anchoring at Verplanck’s Point. Cortlandt derived its name from the Van Cortlandt family who began purchasing land in 1677 from the Croton River north to Anthony’s Nose and east to Connecticut. Cortlandt was the site of many skirmishes during the Revolutionary War. Local Roads, such as Watch Hill, Gallows Hill and Furnace Dock Road, where the furnaces that made ammunition for the war effort were located, bear names reflecting the Revolutionary time.

The largest employer in the Town is the Cortlandt Town Center - a large retail center located on Route 6. Other major employers in the Town are mostly institutions, such as the Hudson Valley Hospital Center, Town & Villages Governments, The School Districts, and the FDR Veterans Administration Hospital.
The Town of Cortlandt has an extensive recreation department with many activities for our families. These include:

1. Softball fields at Sprout Brook Park (with lights).
2. An outdoor pavilion at Sprout Brook Park (capacity 200).
3. A new playground at Sprout Brook Park (open year round).
4. Expansion of our Muriel H. Morabito Community Center (off West Brook Drive).
5. A new playground at the Community Center (handicapped accessible).
6. The Christopher Bisordi Memorial Outdoor Basketball Court at the Community Center.
7. Outdoor Bocce Courts and a Horseshoe Facility at the Community Center.
8. Renovation of Charles Cook Pool including a new concrete surface, drainage system, filtration system, bathhouse upgrades, a new
playground and “frog slide”, landscaping and other amenities. (A 2 million dollar project) and renovation of the swimming lanes was
completed in 2006.
9. The Steven Hebert Memorial Skate Park at the Community Center (off West Brook Drive).
10. A Roller Hockey Rink adjacent to the New York State Police Headquarters. (off Route 9A) with lights and a playground.
11. Completion of the Historic Tollhouse for a regional information tourist center. Open on weekends May through October.
12. Community space use (4,000 sq. ft.) at the Cortlandt Town Center is now available for rental. (Contact our Recreation Division)
13. Steamboat Dock River Park and Overlook (in Verplanck) are restored and with construction of an outdoor pavilion and a pedestrian trail
and we have plans for the next phases of Broadway Streetscape and new plans for Meahagh Park.
14. The Hudson Highlands Gateway Park (Hillpoint property) is designed for passive recreation (trails) off Sprout Brook Road.(352 acres of
passive land)
15. Many beautification projects throughout the town. (Flowerbeds, gazebos, plantings and our Veterans Parks)
16. C.U.E. (Cortlandt Upper Teens Entertainment Center) open for all freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors on Friday and Saturday
nights and is supervised by qualified adults.
17. Completed the Oscawana Boat/ Kyack Launch.
18. A new playground, tennis courts and basketball court was built off of Croton Avenue.
19. A new little league field and a soccer/all purpose field both at Sprout Brook Park opened in 2008.
20. Construction of a Cortlandt Dog (“Pooch”) Park at Sprout Brook Park. Grand opening took place on November 2, 2008.
21. A Computer Center at the Senior Citizen Center.
22. Renovation of the Town Hall Courtyard and entranceway (new lights, benches, bricks, doors, flowers, new steps etc.)
23. A new playground at the Roller Hockey Rink off Memorial Drive in memory of Peter Cutignola.
24. An annual Cortlandt event – “Cortlandt Family Fun Day”.(off Route 9A by the State Police and Roller Hockey Rink)
25. Renovation of the swimming lanes at Cook Pool.
26. Annual Golf Outing to benefit our first responders at the Hollowbrook Golf Course each year.
27. A new youth and recreation multi-purpose facility opened in 2009 for ages 11 to 18. It is fully supervised.
28. Cortlandt sponsors the D.A.R.E. program and the Cortlandt Coalition to educate our youth about substance abuse and awareness
prevention.
29. Plans for a water spray theme park at Sprout Brook Park are underway for the future.
30. Quadricentennial projects were completed in 2009 to honor Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River including a time capsule at
Town Hall.
31. Saved Furnace Dock Lake and the watershed area. It is now owned by the TOC for passive parkland.
32. At the former Martin Property now owned by the Town: a boat launch for the community, an aviation theme playground, benches by the
Hudson River.
33. A Veteran’s Park at Steamboat Dock dedicated July 20, 2012.
34. Completed a new half court basketball court in northern Cortlandt June 2012.

All have been completed without significantly raising Town taxes. Many other projects are being considered and planned for our future. Our Town taxes have only been raised 1% over the entire 22 years of this administration.

We welcome all to our community and hope that you enjoy the beauty of the Town of Cortlandt, shop and do business in Cortlandt, as well.